The Australian Meat Industry Council (AMIC) has welcomed the reinstatement of export approvals for the remaining two Australian processors that had been suspended from trade with China.

Casella Family Brands (CFB) will be taking over distribution of the Better Beer Company’s brand portfolio in Australia, effective immediately. Better Beer's products have been produced at a CFB-owned brewery since launching in 2021.

Industry minister, Ed Husic, has announced Tesla chair and former Telstra CFO, Robyn Denholm, will lead the government's Strategic Examination of Research & Development (R&D) that it announced in the May budget. The terms of reference were also released. 

Australian alcohol company, ASX-listed Top Shelf International (TSI), has enlisted the M&A team from EY to sell some or all of the business. Its brands include Ned Whiskey, Grainshaker Vodka, and Act of Treason Australian Agave.

Suntory Oceania has named chef and social media personality, Andy Hearnden, as the first brand ambassador for Suntory BOSS Coffee in Australia and New Zealand.

The International Fresh Produce Association Australia and New Zealand (IFPA ANZ) has appointed Belinda Wilson as its new managing director, effective 6 January 2025, following the recent resignation of Ben Hoodless.

Yaffa Media, one of Australia’s largest independent media companies, has acquired Spanton Media Group and all its assets, including industry-leading title Australian Bartender, the Australian Bar Awards and Sydney Bar Week.

EXBERRY color supplier, GNT, has launched an independent investment firm, aiming to accelerate innovation and boost sustainability at every stage of the value chain.

As food and beverage manufacturers and distributors navigate an evolving commercial landscape, the Commonwealth Bank’s CommBank Food and Beverage Manufacturing Insights Report May 2024 shows an undercurrent of confidence across the sector. That’s Amore Cheese CEO, Marco Alghisi, and CommBank’s industry lead for Manufacturing & Wholesale Trade, Maria Christina, discuss the industry's priorities.

Select Harvests managing director, David Surveyor, said the company’s $1.5 million net profit after tax (NPAT) for FY24, represents more than a $116 million turnaround from FY23, with an operating cash flow of $21.3 million being a 545.5 per cent increase on FY23.

Maggie Beer Holdings chair, Susan Thomas, told shareholders at this week’s AGM the board acknowledged the company must focus on earnings growth, capitalise on its “incredible” brand equity, and provide “proof points, not promises” to win back investor confidence after a year in which the company lost its CEO, CFO, and reported a $28.2 million loss.

The Treasury Laws Amendment (Mergers and Acquisitions Reform) Bill 2024 has officially passed Parliament, leaving the ACCC focused on successful implementation of the new merger regime, ready for once it commences in 2026.

Australian wine has received another international accolade, after a high-performing year for the industry. The 2022 Giaconda Estate Vineyard Chardonnay secured second place in US-based wine publication Vinous' Top 100 Wines of 2024.

Irish materials handling company, Combilift, has marked being in Australia for 21 years, with co-founder and MD, Martin McVicar, in Melbourne to celebrate the milestone with the local team.

According to Australia’s 2023-24 Gender Equality Scorecard, there is still a “sizeable and pervasive” total remuneration gender pay gap of almost 22 per cent. The Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) research shows that while the food and beverage manufacturing industry has started reducing this gap on paper, the uneven composition of its workforce has an impact.

Australia’s first social enterprise bakery, The Bread & Butter Project, has graduated its latest group of bakers, with its largest ever cohort marking the program’s 100th graduate.